President Bola Tinubu is scheduled to inaugurate the newly licensed College of Petroleum and Energy Studies, Kaduna later this month, according to Kaduna State Governor, Senator Uba Sani.
Sani disclosed on Monday when he received the Executive Secretary of the Petroleum Technology Development Fund, Ahmad Aminu, who paid him a courtesy visit at Sir Kashim Ibrahim House.
The governor hailed Tinubu for granting the provisional operating licence that allows the college to function as a private postgraduate university focused on petroleum and energy studies.
Commending the President’s commitment to advancing local capacity in Nigeria’s petroleum sector, Sani said,
“We cannot make progress in a fast-changing and complex society if we fail to develop local capacity.
“This college, if well supported, has the potential of developing the local manpower that will change the face of Nigeria’s petroleum industry.”
He assured the PTDF Executive Secretary and his team of the Kaduna State Government’s full support to ensure the commissioning is a resounding success, adding that the state is ready to assist the college in whatever way necessary to achieve its objectives.
“Kindly approach the Kaduna State Government for any assistance required to ensure the smooth running of this important institution,” Sani told the PTDF delegation.
The governor described the establishment of the college as a significant milestone, not only for Kaduna State but for Nigeria’s oil and gas industry.
He noted that Kaduna is now poised to play a more strategic role in driving innovation, research, and capacity development within the energy sector.
Earlier in his remarks, Aminu said his team was at Government House to brief the governor on the progress made so far towards the take-off of the college, particularly with preparations for the first cohort of students scheduled for September 2025.
According to the Executive Secretary, the college has already been licensed by the National Universities Commission to operate as a private postgraduate institution and will commence with 19 academic programmes across six departments and three faculties.
He disclosed that the PTDF has received 3,702 applications for the Split-Site PhD Programme, with screening and interviews currently ongoing.
According to him, successful candidates will soon be admitted into the first batch of academic programmes.
He added that the three faculties that will begin operations include: the Faculty of Computing and Telecommunications Technology, the Faculty of Earth and Applied Sciences, and the Faculty of Energy Law and Management Sciences.
Galadima explained that the college’s Split-Site PhD Programme was designed to expose Nigerian scholars to both local and international best practices in the petroleum and energy industries.
He said under the arrangement, students would primarily study at CPESK in Kaduna but would also undertake short academic stays at partner universities in the United Kingdom, including the University of Strathclyde, Robert Gordon University, and the University of Portsmouth.
“These partnerships will support the delivery of a world-class postgraduate curriculum through a model that combines local knowledge with international exposure,” Galadima stated.
He also recalled that the idea to establish the college dates back to 2009, when the PTDF conceived the project as part of its mandate to develop senior technical, managerial, and executive personnel for Nigeria’s energy sector.
However, he said, delays over the years had stalled its progress until recent support from the Tinubu administration cleared the path for full take-off.
“With the college now fully licensed, we are confident it will contribute significantly to addressing Nigeria’s skills gap in petroleum and energy studies.
“This institution will serve as a hub for research, innovation, and manpower development within and beyond Nigeria’s borders,” Galadima said.
The Executive Secretary commended Sani for prioritising education and capacity building in Kaduna State, noting that the governor’s continued support has been instrumental in fast-tracking the project’s progress.
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